If you have ever felt uncomfortable flying in economy class, things are about to get a whole lot worse as Italian company Aviointeriors brings you the SkyRider seat.
The trouble is, it is not a seat but a kind of “saddle” on which you half sit and half stand, with just 23 centimetres of leg room. The seats have hooks for bags and jackets. The design will allow airlines to pack more passengers onto flights and to reduce aisle width even further.
Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary thought the seats were a joke when he first saw them at an exhibition but now his company is said to be thinking of introducing them at the back of its planes on short-haul flights at a cost of €4.00 to passengers.
British airline officials have voiced concerns about safety but the director of Aviointeriors is confident that there will be interest in the SkyRiders from airlines operating on routes with flight times of less than three hours.
The seats have been criticised because they are designed only for people of average height and build.
British MP Patrick Mercer is not impressed and said,
“Aircraft are inherently dangerous. If you pack more passengers in you exacerbate the problem.”
Would you travel on a SkyRider seat?
